Red Stars break early tie to take 4-1 win

May 18, 2014 - The Boston Breakers ran into a Chicago roadblock Sunday night at Harvard Stadium, dropping their second straight to the Red Stars in a 4-1 defeat.

May 18, 2014 - The Boston Breakers ran into a roadblock Sunday night at Harvard Stadium, dropping their second straight game to the Chicago Red Stars in a 4-1 defeat in front of 2,123 fans.

"We knew that their strength was in the midfield, and the goal was to play past their midfield and through their midfield as quickly as possible," Breakers Head Coach Tom Durkin said. "(But) it boils down to making plays. We had miscues. It's not a good situation we're in, but the season is not slipping away. We (just) have holes to fill."

The Red Stars (4-2-1, 13 points) took an early lead when Michelle Wenino found the back of the net after a goalmouth scramble that saw the ball ping pong off seven players in the box before landing at Wenino's feet. She flicked it past Nikki Washington, who made a valiant attempt to block the shot at the near post. The 23rd minute goal was Wenino's second in as many games against Boston.

But the Breakers (1-5-0, 3 points) struck the equalizer in the 35th minute. After Chicago was whistled for a hand ball in the box, Heather O'Reilly cooly beat Chicago keeper Karina LeBlanc, sending the Canadian keeper in the opposite direction. It was O'Reilly's second goal of the season, tying her with Lianne Sanderson for the team lead.

The Breakers won a corner in the 45th minute, but as O'Reilly stepped up to take it from the right of LeBlanc, the referee blew the whistle, ending the half and perhaps a goal-scoring opportunity for the Breakers.

The Red Stars went ahead for good in the 50th minute on a goal by Jen Hoy. The play began in when Adriana Leon took possession a few yards before midfield before placing a through ball to Hoy, who snuck through a trio of Breakers before beating keeper Alyssa Naeher for the 2-1 advantage. That lead went to 3-1 in the 57th minute when Chicago captain Lori Chalupny took a pass from Vanessa DiBernardo and just slipped it around Naeher as the Breakers keeper came off her line for the challenge. The final Red Stars tally came in the 85th minute when Zakiya Bywaters broke free and darted up field and around Naeher for the 4-1 final.

"The girls are tired of losing. I'm tired of losing," Durkin said. "I have to find a plan that gives us a better chance to execute on both sides of the ball."

The Breakers remain at home for three more matches, beginning May 25 against FC Kansas City ( 7p.m.) and followed by Portland Thorns FC (May 28 at 7:30 p.m.) and the Washington Spirit (June 1 at 6:30 p.m.). You can purchase tickets to all three matches at www.breakerstickets.com or by calling 617-945-1704.